Festive Pieces
by Hogwarts Online II
Summary: Writings of Christmas and New Years by members of Hogwarts Online.
1. Chapter 1

**By:**

HeartofPaperBloodofInk

(Sophie) Slytherin house

**Character: Teddy Lupin**

It was the Yule Ball at which he first saw her, dancing under the mistletoe, her long silvery-blonde hair flying out as she danced.

They were inseparable after that, he was so deeply in love (or should that maybe be _lust_?) with his beautiful part Veela, who had inherited the elegance and beauty of her mother's fashion sense, and she was in love with the idea of him, the tragic orphaned hero, whose parents were killed in the great war, the Harry Potter (or should that maybe be _Ron _the trusty _sidekick_?)of their generation.

But it wasn't too long after Christmas the next year, just before the New Year in Victoire's last year at Hogwarts that they realised that they were never going to be compatible. Teddy wanted to settle down, get married as soon as she had finished school, start a family. She was too much of a free spirit, she wanted to finish school, and have a laugh, a ball, go on a 'round the world trip, get away from the craziness of being a Weasley.

So in the end, they broke up. Victoire went off on her trip of a lifetime, she had her many flings, and never once (or should that be _always_?)thought of Teddy. Teddy stayed behind, stayed with his family (or should that be famil_ies_?), finishing his Auror training, and going straight to the top, because of who his family (or should because of who _he_) was.

There was that one girl that was perfect for him, though, whether he knew it or not. His best friend, his godsister, his _shining star_. Lily Luna Potter had had him bewitched since the day she had blinked up at him with those shining emerald eyes of hers, on her first day of life. He watched as she grew up, long red ringlets slowly growing longer, coiling down her back. He watched as she left for Hogwarts, smiling so bright he thought for a moment that she was outshining the sun. He watched when she returned that summer, dressed in the silver and green of Slytherin robes, her proudful demeanour only heightened by the year spent in Slytherin. He watched her skirts grow shorter; her heels grow higher; her necklines work their way slowly south. The makeup on her face grew heavier, but more skilful, and her natural beauty grew tenfold.

She caught his heart the moment Victoire threw it away, and she had never let go. As he watches her now, tearing open her presents underneath the tree, and sneakily giving the jumper from her Grandma Weasley to a house elf, he feels his heart breaking into even more tiny pieces, and not just because he thinks of what could have been between he and Victoire every time this time of year rolls around.

He tries to tell himself that he hates Christmas, and what's the point of a new year anyway? It would make it so much easier for everyone if there were no such things as years or months, or days. If we all just lived one day to the next – if the earlier muggles could manage it, then so could we. It's not our calendar that makes us more civilized, more special than the primitive beings that came before, but our way of thinking, our inventions, our society.

He tries to convince many people of his point of view, but most just laugh, or look at him pityingly, sometimes kindly, sometimes doubting he was sane in his mind.

But after a while, after he and Lily are finally united as one, Christmas starts to hold some meaning for him again. It may have been the time when he lost one of the people closest to his heart, but it is also the time when he gained the most important person in his life.

_Because really, what is Christmas, if not a time for celebrating, and what is New Year, if not a time for new starts?_

**X-X-X**

**A/N: Well, that pretty much sucked.**..


	2. Chapter 2

By: greencyanide (Sanjana) of Ravenclaw

Character : Severus Snape

Severus ducked as he saw the demise of the old, chipped vase at the bottom of the stairs. The calendar stated that it was Christmas, but holidays and celebrations didn't mean much in the Snape household. Severus hopped to the kitchen, sidestepping the shards scattered on the floor, hoping that there would be some food worth nicking in there.

But, even on Christmas, his luck was against him - apart from the few bits of mouldy cheese and flaky rolls, the pantry had nothing that would satisfy his growling stomach. There was no betting when his mother would come down or if she would fix anything up at all.

Severus fingered the two soggy oners in his pocket he had earned by shovelling snow from the Wilkins' and Vaugns' yard. He did not have anyone to buy a gift for - two pounds and some odd job would buy him a cheap meal at Fournier's.

With a long sigh, Severus put on his coat and boots. Just as he was about to wrench the door open, he heard a scuffle, followed by a loud yell - his father's.

Severus ran upstairs, covering three steps at a time.

His mother was standing, wand in hand. A raw red weal was stamped across her cheek, and his father lay on the floor, unconscious.

"Did you use a spell?" asked Severus, in shock.

"Yes," said Eileen Snape, quietly - not a trace of guilt in her voice. She bent down and pulled out the wallet from his father's pocket. She sifted though it's contents and fished out a wad of notes.

"Take this, buy yourself a gift and a nice dinner," she said, throwing a handful of notes at him.

"Go!"

Severus walked out of the house, the scarf up to his nose against the chill. Deciding to eat first, he took the shortest path to Fournier's, only to find that it was closed.

He knocked on the door. Monique Fournier, the owner's elder daughter, peered out.

"Oh, Severus," she said. "Merry Christmas!"

"Yeah, Merry Christmas. I was wondering, isn't the restaurant gonna open?"

"No, didn't you see the board?" she said stepping out of the house and pointing at the small sign hanging from the shutters. "We are closed for today."

"Oh," said Severus, disappointed.

"Mama and Papa have gone to my great aunt's home, she is very ill. I would have asked Papa to fix you something if he were here," she said.

Maybe it was not pity in her voice, but Severus felt a little ashamed, and said, "It's okay, I guess I will go to Rogers."

Of course, that I cannot afford a dinner at Rogers is an entirely different matter, he thought bitterly as he walked away.

"Severus, wait!" He turned around to see Monique running up, towards him.

"Why don't you have dinner with us, Severus? Me and Annabelle?" she said.

Severus felt a little thrown off by the gesture, but of course, he knew he had to decline. "No, Monique, I can't," he said simply.

"Why not, Severus? Come on, we are friends, and friends should not eat alone on Christmas."

Severus suppressed a smirk. He was born into a family where holiday traditions meant less than nothing.

"It's okay, Monique," said Severus, starting to think knocking at her door was a bad idea. He did not expect to have the bistro opened just for him, did he?

"Look who's there!"

Severus spun around to see a bunch of rowdy boys from Orpington Middle School cackling down the street.

"Come to beg at Fournier's, Snape?" guffawed one of them.

"Sod off," snapped Severus.

"Or else what? You'll call you Daddy, eh?"

"Ta Gueule!" screamed Monique. "Get out of here, you buffoons!"

A couple of them whistled.

"Oooh, I'm sooo scaaared. Snape is being protected by his girlfriend now," drawled one of them.

The next instant, that boy was on the floor, gagging and gasping for breath as Severus wrung his neck with his scarf. He couldn't even feel the kicks and fists on his back, so potent and protective was his anger.

"Severus, don't! Let go, Severus," shouted Monique.

But Severus did not stop, until a few men came out of their houses and broke off the fight.

One of them was Mr. Wilkins, who looked at him soberly and said, "Severus, I had not expected this from you. You were going to choke him to death!"

As Monique apologized to the men and told off the boys some more, Severus quietly walked away from the group.

Only after he had crossed two streets did he breathe freely again. So much for a nice dinner, he thought, feeling the bruises and bumps in his back. Even the small shops of Carson Street had been lit up in the festivities, small lights twinkling around the windows. Bill Ward's china shop was the only one in the neighbourhood which looked no different than it did every other time of the year. The lack of lustre, as if it had forsaken all the celebrations, invited Severus to enter. He stepped in to take a look, though he had no intention of buying knick-knacks. The shop seemed empty, and he drifted towards the dusty rack at the corner of the shop.

He was drawn to a small porcelain hummingbird, at the top of the rack. It was not exquisite or a detailed figure - it was plain and youthful with very bold colours. It had Severus picked the figurine off the rack and brushed off the dust. Holding the hummingbird in his hand, he felt like he knew it for long, as if it was a reminder of something. Though he couldn't remember exactly what, somehow, he felt it was important.

"Ten pounds. Not a penny less."

Old man Ward was standing beside him, with a grave look in his eyes - the condescending look that old men from this part of the town generally reserved for the boys from the wrong side of the river.

Severus pulled out all the notes from his pocket.

He wandered from street to street, the ocassional chime of the carolers lifted his spirits a little and the sight of the snowmen in the front yards cheered him a too. As a kid, he had always loved making snowmen, until one day, in a drunked bout, his father kicked down the head of one. That had really ruined snowmen for him.

He was not aware, and did not care anyway, where his feet were taking him, until he reached the last house of the Brougham Street. He did not dare look at the brightly lit windows.

He stood there staring at the snowman. The carrot had fallen off it's head. He sleathily walked in through the front gate and picked up the carrot, fixing it.

"Tuney! Thanks so much for the snowdome! It looks so wonderful!"

Severus' eyes involuntarily shifted towards the windows. Lily Evans was hugging her sister fiercely, thanking her for the gift.

He could have stood there for an eternity and see her move around, unaware of his eyes.

But suddenly, she dashed out of the room and seconds later, the front door opened - she had spotted him! Severus knew he should make a run for it, but his feet seemed to have frozen.

Mrs. Evans' voice floated out from the house. "Lily dear, what are you doing out in the snow?"

"Mum, I will go fetch some more logs from the garage," she called back, without moving her eyes from him.

Then she slowly stepped into the snow, drawing her coat close as she got closer to him, as if drawing strength and safety from it.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, confrontation in her voice.

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Don't stalk me!" she spouted.

"I'm not," said Severus, indifferently.

He looked at her for one last long moment, before turning on his heel and shuffling out of the gate.

On his was out, he tossed the hummingbird into the trash can.

~o0o~

"Isn't it beautiful?" she said, in a hushed voice.

"If you say so," he said, without interest. He was keeping an eye for old man Ward, who did not like children in his shop.

She lightly touched the china figure, afraid she might break it if she wasn't gentle.

"What bird is it?" he asked, noticing the it for the first time.

"It's a hummingbird, silly!" she reprimanded, continuing to stare at it.

They were standing at the corner of the shop, tiptoeing and admiring it.

After a while, she whispered, "Do you think Mum will buy it for me if I ask her?"

He shrugged. "You should ask her and see." She pondered over the thought without taking her eyes off it.

"Or we can save up our allowances so we can buy it for Christmas. It'll be our gift to each other."

He nodded, smiling at her. "That's a good idea. And you can keep it at your house."

"Really, Sev? You're the best friend ever!" she squealed, hugging him.

They couldn't save up enough before Christmas and slowly forgot the hummingbird, which lay on the rack, day after day, collecting dust, waiting to be admired, to be someone's gift to another...


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Cherished Memory

By: RoxyBabyX (Roxy)

_**For the forum Hogwarts Online, this month's monthly Challenge! (Go check it out, it's awesome XD)**_

"**Remembrance, like a candle, burns brightest at Christmastime" **

The blindingly beautiful white fluff fell from the skies like winter's butterflies, gathering together on the ground. Children could already be seen outside, in the process of building their snowmen, as their parents made sure they were covered up cordially to avoid a nasty cold. The clouds were thickening angrily, and every now and then, you could hear the whistle of winds as they would pick up heavily every other minute.

Despite the fact that it was a cold and discouraging day for most who hated snow, Sirius Black couldn't thwart a large, wolfish grin from forming on his face. He adored this weather; it reminded him of his days at School, when their worries were girls and studies.

He watched as his best mates sat around the beautifully decorated Christmas tree on the morning of the 25th, sharing previous memories of this very holiday, and laughing jubilantly. Paper wrapping was strewn all around the room after the enthusiastic opening of the presents; on both Sirius and James' parts, and Harry.

Sirius watched his godson, the very person he's loved the most ever since he set his eyes on him, and his heart ached. Only a few days ago, Albus Dumbledore brought them in and told them of the prophecy. Regardless of his apology for ruining their holiday, Sirius still could feel the bitter fear he felt when they were informed that Prongs Jr. would have to defeat the most feared man in England.

Hearing footsteps approaching him, Sirius pushed himself off the cold glass of the window, and spun around.

Lily Potter was looming toward him, a content smile on her face, and two cups of hot chocolate in her hands. Reaching where he stood, she handed him one of the cups, her smile growing at his thanks.

"Come on, don't look so sad. It's Christmas!" She told him quietly, as to not bring attention to them. "Come sit with me"

Nodding in agreement, the two settled on the large, beige suede couch by the hearth – which was currently burning with bright, orange fire.

It was only quiet for a few, short minutes, when Sirius piped up, "Harry happy with his presents?"

Looking up from the novel she was currently watching her son and husband, Lily nodded, "Extremely. Although I think he's more excited about the snow! He utterly loves it!"

"That's our boy! Just like his daddy; always excited for the winter" Sirius replied with a chuckle.

A small, sad smile appeared on Lily's face, "Yeah" She whispered, "Just like his father"

His eyebrows rose at this; leaning forward on his knees, he reached out and held tightly on his brother's – in every way but blood – wife's hand.

"Everything okay, Lil?" He asked softly, staring directly into her green eyes.

Lily was still for a moment, as though she were contemplating her answer. It only took a few seconds for her to shake her head hesitantly; "Nothing is okay lately, Sirius. It's just that…" She paused, looking away from Sirius' intense gaze.

Squeezing her hand tightly to give her reassurance, Sirius probed her on, "It's just what...?"

Lily continued to stare out the window, watching as the soft snowflakes fell delicately from the sky, catching onto the others already on the ground. Shaking her head from the distractions, she returned her stare to Sirius and smiled gently to calm down his worries, "Remember how easy it was back then at Hogwarts?"

Sirius snorted, "Oh yes; the days when you constantly rejected James, and always gave me detentions; whether I deserved them or not. _Brilliant_ memories, those were!" He replied sardonically, with a teasing grin on his face.

Rolling her eyes, Lily playfully shoved his shoulder and chuckled along with him, only stopping some seconds later. There was a pregnant pause once again, and Lily took this time to think over what she was about to say.

Sirius could practically see the wheels working through her head, and watched with slight amusement, and only a touch of concern, as the fire danced around in her magnificent green eyes; which, he could remember quite excellently, used to shine with a great amount of bliss. Her emerald green eyes once were very unique; they were uncommon, after all.

At present, however, they were a dull moss green – and many would describe them as ordinary and boring. All he could spot was the wariness that gave her bags under those once beautiful eyes. Wariness accompanied by a variety of different emotions bottled up.

He could understand, quite well actually, why she's changed so drastically over the years.

For her, the war was a big threat to their family. Not only were they Potter's – a very old Pureblood family whom are known to the many Death Eaters out there as 'blood traitors', but they have recently discovered the fate their son was about to face – and the fact that there was a spy working for the Dark Side didn't help.

"It's hard"

Sirius turned to face Lily, whom had at last spoken and interrupted his dismal thoughts. "What is?" He asked after registering her previous statement.

Christmas carols could now be heard in the background, but his focus never left from her; the women he thought of as a dear sister.

"Knowing that, one day, Harry might have the weight of the world on his shoulders" She replied with struggle.

His breath hitched in his throat at hearing those words; those very words which he knew were true, yet denied with everything he had in him. "Don't say that, Lils" He whispered despairingly. "Don't think that way. That prophecy may not even be about him! It may be Alice and Frank's kid; I hate thinking this way, and I hate saying it even worse, but I _hope _its Neville Longbottom."

Staring despondently at her son once again, tears began to gather in her eyes, "So do I, Sirius, so do I"

Clearing his tight throat, he wiped away the tears that managed to escape and stood, offering a calloused hand to Lily.

Looking up at him with hidden melancholy, Lily smiled sadly and took the offered hand.

Sirius pulled Lily to her feet and faced her properly. "Whatever happens, Lily, everything will turn out okay in the end. And remember, I'll always be there for Harry; even if it means risking my own life for his"

Her eyes filled up, once again, with tears as she listened to those words she desperately needed to hear. Choking back a sob, she threw her arms around his defined waist and embraced him firmly.

Sirius returned the enfold with as much determination, if not more. Pulling back a minute or so later, he smirked gently and said, "Happy Christmas, Lily. Enjoy it as much as possible because, as much as I hate to say it, it'll be a long time until we feel this content"

"Too right you are, Padfoot" she replied forlornly, "And Happy Christmas to you too."

"Now let's go join the others, yeah?"

Nodding in agreement, Lily wiped away the tears and placed a forced smile on her face. Together, they made their way to the Christmas tree, their hot chocolates forgotten, and joined in the temporary merriment.

James Potter watched this whole exchange from the other side of the room, glad that Lily was able to talk to _someone_ about her troubles, and smiled gratefully at his best friend as they joined them around the brightly lit up Christmas tree.

Returning the smile, Sirius sat down next to Harry and, as soon as his godson turned to him, changed into Padfoot. Affectionately licking the toddler's face, Sirius couldn't help but notice how much easier it would be to live as an animal.

There would be no wars for him, no troubles, and no worries. Yet, despite all of that, he was glad to be there at that moment, with the people he loved most.

He cherished this day in his memories forever, knowing quite well that it would be the very last instant of happiness for _everyone _in a long timeafter the storm hits.

**Hey guys! Here is my one-shot I wrote for the Yule ball/New Year challenge on Hogwarts Online, as a first year! I'm proud to be a Ravenclaw, and I hope you all enjoy this! **

**Cheers, **

**Roxy x**

**Happy Christmas everyone! **

"**A snowflake is like winter's Butterfly" **


	4. Chapter 4

**Character: Scorpius Malfoy**

**By: **

**RoseScor90 (Rose) Ravenclaw**

**Disclaimer: Not JK…**

**A/n: written for the December monthly Challenge. The chosen character was Scorpius Malfoy**

How again did I get stuck here? Scorpius wondered as he tried to disappear in the other direction as he saw James and Fred approach him. He absolutely did not want to be at the receiving end of another of their pranks. The last one had had Weasley bursting into laughter everytime he happened to be in the same room as her. Now, do not be confused when Scorpius says Weasley. Because to him, there was only one person who was ever Weasley. The rest were just Lucy, Roxy, Dom, Hugh…but she would always be Weasley to him. And said Weasley was now heading in his direction, her displeasure at having to face him clear on her face.

"Malfoy" she greeted coldly when she was near enough for him to hear. She stopped a couple of feet away from him on instinct. Their conversations in the past had more often than not ended in duels and even now, she was at wand distance from him and her eyes were looking around, ready to spot any indication that he might try to trick her. As if he'd be fool enough to attempt anything of the sort with her mob of a family around.

"Weasley" he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Fancy seeing you here. Don't you normally visit during Christmas and leave for New Years'?" that, Scorpius knew, roughly translated meant Why in bloody hell are you still here?

"Al wanted me to be there for the New Years' bash this year. Something about the first new year after we've graduated, or something of that sort. I barely had a chance to ask him before I was side long apparated here" he shrugged, and Rose's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Your Mum let you?" her surprise was clear and Scorpius couldn't blame her. His mother was well known for being over protective. That was the one reason why he had agreed to stay for a year more at the Manor after graduation, instead of moving into the apartment in town that he and Al had rented.

"Al. I shudder to think what favors he had pulled to get me here"

"You don't seem to be too happy about it, anyway" her remark was barely heard as blaring music started up. They stood listening for a moment and after a few minutes, someone, probably Molly, had the sense to lower the volume so that people could atleast be heard.

"Did you have a reason for cornering me or was it just another random act of yours?" Scorpius asked, his face clearly showing that he was amused. Rose flushed for a minute before her eyes flashed with his with double the sharpness.

"As if you haven't used me as a shield before?" her left eyebrow rose in question and it was Scorpius' turn to be flustered. The fact was that Scorpius had on more than one occasion sought Rose's help to avoid the hundreds of dates he'd otherwise have had to go to. Rose thought he really needed to find better ways to evade girls but played along nevertheless. Consequently, they were considered a semi-couple at Hogwarts. The reputation did not please her but it wasn't something she could help.

"But I did have a reason for deciding to endure your presence today. Several infact. Ouch!" Rose stumbled as one of the dancers bumped into her and she was forced to grab Scorpius to steady herself. Scorpius reached out his hands in instinct and caught her right on time. There was none of the animosity in either of their eyes as they met now. Instead, they were filled with a sudden awareness that scorched them both. Rose tried to spring away from him, but Scorpius held her firmly in place.

"Atleast now I can hear you without having to strain myself" he reasoned as she looked at him quizzically.

"Going deaf, are we?"

"Afraid of what the others would think, are you?" he shot back instantly, and she had no choice but to stay in his arms. It wasn't anything much, if she could just forget that she could see every perfection and imperfection of his face. So she turned her head to the side while she spoke.

"As I was saying, there are several reasons why I'd much rather spend the night beside you."

"Aside from the fact that you can always count on me for a duel?"

"If I get bored enough, yes that too. But you'd never ask me to dance with you"

"As if you'd agree if I even asked?" Scorpius laughed lightly and she couldn't help but join. They were enough of a sight out of the dance floor. Lord help the amount of attention they'd get on it.

"And, there's the stupid superstition about New Years'" she shook her head in disbelief.

"You don't believe a New Years' kiss brings you luck for the rest of the year?"

"Don't tell me you do" Scorpius shrugged his shoulders in reply before he continued, "So you'd much rather endure my 'stimulating' company than kiss some random guy?"

"Half the people here are related to me. I don't want to risk it" she replied and her face clearly portrayed her distaste. Only then did she notice Scorpius' slightly sheepish expression and his line of vision fixed above her head.

"I'm sorry Weasley but you have a mistletoe hanging above your head" something seemed to amuse him endlessly as he grinned.

"…TEN…"

"…NINE…"

"Al! I'm seriously going to kill him! What was he thinking? He planned all this!" her rant went on for a few more minutes before scorpius, deciding to save Al from a premature death (or speed it up, we never know with that Slytherin), interrupted.

"…EIGHT…"

"Look, Weasley let's just get this over with and then go murder your lovely cousin, alright?" he replied in irritation.

"…SEVEN…"

"We could search for him first, you know?"

"…SIX…"

"And ruin his first new years out of school? He'd never forgive us!"

"…FIVE…"

"I'm not going to care about what that scheming…" she was distracted from her rant as he leaned down to kiss her.

"…FOUR…"

He hadn't meant to snog her, honestly. He'd only wanted to stop her from cursing Al to the end of eternity, but of course, as was usual when Weasley was concerned, all his plans went out the window, and as her hands wound around his neck, he didn't object, drawing her closer.

"…THREE…"

"…TWO…"

"…ONE…"

Rose sprung apart from him as the mountain of fireworks Fred and James had amassed burst at once. She looked around in alarm, and let out a sigh when she found that noone had noticed her stupid lack of self control. What had she been bloody thinking!

"Looks like luck is intent on finding you this year" his voice was annoyingly close to her ear and she fought for control. Murdering him wasn't going to solve anything. She must act as if it hadn't bothered her at all and move away. Of course, what she said was just the opposite.

"This changes nothing" she spat at him but he did not seem surprised at her sudden change of behavior. Weasley's mood swings were frequent and after more than a few duels and visits to the Infirmary, he had learned to predict them with uncanny accuracy.

"Of course not. We'll still stay on the Hogwarts' couple-or-not list." He replied complacently and Rose let out a sigh of relief.

"Now for that oh so dear cousin of mine…" Scorpius could almost see the wheels turn in her head and pitied his poor friend.

"Ros…uh, Weasley. I was wondering…"

"What is it?"

"How about we meet up sometime this week? For lunch or something?"

"Are you asking me out?" Rose's voice was incredulous and Scorpius hurriedly shook his head.

"No way, Weasley. That would mean I liked you or something disgusting like that. I meant it more like a sit-at-the-same-table-and-talk kind of it"

"Uh…sure."

"Now, wasn't there a meddlesome cousin you wanted to teach a lesson?" his eyes once again shone with mischief and Rose smirked back, relaxed. This side of him, she could handle effortlessly.

Albus might have suffered a brutal prank that day, but he was successful in his plan to bring them together; after a few more tricks and tries.

Of course, James Potter and Fred Weasley would like me to add that they were the 'brains' behind the operation. As if they had any!


	5. Chapter 5

By: thenewkait (Kait) Ravenclaw

Character: Viktor Krum

Viktor slumped into the chair behind a long wooden table. He had been coming to the library for two weeks now and had yet to talk to the beautiful girl with curly honey brown hair. Today was the day. He was going to ask her to the Yule Ball. The event was three weeks away and he hoped with all his might that she had not already been asked.

"Krum?" A young girl came up behind her.

"Yes?" He grunted.

She giggled and looked over her shoulder. Her friends were around behind some book shelves. They were staring at her wide eyed. She giggled again. "I was wondering. If you had a date to the Yule Ball already?" She smiled.

"Aren't you to young to go to the ball?" He looked at her.

Her face fell. "As a matter of fact I am. But what does that matter?"

"It just does. Your 'eadmaster was right to not let the younger of you go."

"If you didn't want to go with me you could have just said." She turned on her heel and stormed back to her friends.

Viktor shook his head. He glanced at the honey girl. She was staring at the scene that had just occured. He wished she hadn't have seen it. He wasn't interested in all the girls that bombarded him wherever he went, but no matter what he did, there they always were. And for some reason there she always was too. Viktor saw her everywhere. She was the only reason he came to this library. He sit there all day and pretend to read. He would sneak looks at her over the tops of the books. She was breath taking. Like nothing they had back in Bulgaria. She had the most beautiful hair he had ever seen. It was honey brown with blonde streaks. Viktor wished he could run his hands through the curls, just to prove how soft they looked.

She saw him staring at her and blushed. She quickly gathered her belongings and started putting them away. "Now is your chance, Viktor. Just do it." He told himself. He watched her pack all her things but could not stand up to go talk to her. What happened to that famous Quidditch Seeker would have no trouble talking to girls. She was heading out of the library when he decided it was now or never. He hurridely followed her.

She was walking fast with her bag slung over her shoulder. Viktor liked the way she moved. Like she was a angel that just glided over the floor. He followed her to an empty corridor where she whipped around and pulled out her wand.

"Can I help you with something?" Her voice was angelic. Even though her eyes were cold.

Viktor cleared his throat. "Ummm...yes. I mean no. I mean...I don't know." He smiled at her. She melted slightly and lowered her wand.

"Well is it yes, or no."

"Both."

"Both. I see. Hmmm. Well make up your mind." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"That is just the problem. I don't know where to start."

"Well a good place to start is with your name." She smiled at him.

His name? Didn't she know who he was. "I am Viktor. Viktor Krum."

"Hermione Granger." She extended her hand. Viktor shook it finding it quite odd that a girl would do this to him.

"It is nice to meet you 'airmenone."

"It's Hermione."

"That is what I said 'airmenone."

She laughed. "I guess we will have to work on your pronunciation."

He smiled, not knowing what she was talking about.

"Well, since we are now introduced. I would like to know why you were following me?"

"I wasn't following-"

"Viktor, I have seen you staring at me in the library. And now you are following me. I know you were so don't deny it."

"I was just trying to-" He stopped. What was he was trying to do.

She looked at him. She was so beautiful. He had never noticed. Her eyes were a deep brown color that was so different from her hair. Her lips were chapped and pink, probably from the cold. She still had a slight blush in her cheeks which flushed out her skin.

"Hello, earth to Viktor." Hermione waved a hand in front of his face. He snapped out of his trance.

"I'm sorry." He said to her. "What were we talking about?"

"Why you were following me?" She said.

"Oh. Well. I. was. wondering something."

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if you had a date to the Yule Ball." Viktor sped through.

"I beg your pardon."

"I was wondering if you had a date to the Yule Ball." He slowed down and spoke. He didn't understand why he was so nervous. He had talked to hundreds of girls, but their was something different about this one.

"As a matter of fact I do not." She said the blush creeping back in to her cheeks. "Do you?"

"No, I do not either."

"Well that is a sad fact. A nice man like you should have a date by now." Hermione smiled at him.

"Well, I have been asked quite a few times, but I was waiting to ask this one girl."

"Oh, and she goes to Hogwarts is that right?" He nodded. "Well why didn't you say so in the first place. What does she look like and I can tell you which House she is in."

Was she trying to confuse him? She was smiling at him like she honestly thought the girl was someone else. Why would he go to one girl, just to ask where he could find another girl. He shook his head, maybe he would never understand girls, but he would entertain her until she caught on.

"This girl has 'oney brown hair. With the most lovely chocolate brown eyes."

"Hmmm. Well that could be a number of girls. Anything else specific about her?" She said scratching her chin.

"Yes. She has curly hair and has been in the library everyday for the last two weeks."

"Well I am in the library everyday, and have yet to seen a girl like that." Hermione looked generally confused.

"Well there is one other thing about her."

"What is that?"

"She is standing right in front of me."

Hermione turned around to check behind her. There was no one in this corridor. She turned back around. "I don't see anyone."

Viktor laughed and stepped closer to her. "It's you."

Her eyes widened in shock. "Me?"

"Yes, you have the most beautiful 'oney brown hair. Your eyes are beautiful and the most lovely thing I have seen all my life."

Hermione blushed. "I-I- don't know what to say."

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to go to the Ball with me?"

She smiled at him. "I would love to Viktor."

He beamed at her and picked her up. He twirled her around. "Yes."

"Viktor put me down!" She laughed.

"Oh I am sorry. I was just so 'appy." She smiled up at him.

"It is ok. Shall I meet you in the Great Hall at eight then?"

"That is great."

She gave him a hug. "Then it is a date."

"It is." He smiled at her.

"You have a beautiful smile, Viktor." This made him smile even more. "Well, I need to get back to my homework. Shall I see you tomorrow in the library?"

"Yes. I will be there, 'airmenone."

"Great." She smiled at him. "Oh and Viktor can we keep this just between us. I wouldn't want your fan club hunting you down for asking me."

She had noticed them. He gave her a sheepish grin. "That sounds good."

"I will see you tomorrow." She kissed him on the cheek and walked away.

Viktor touched his cheek. He watched the honey girl walk down the corridor and turn. This was turing out to be one of the best Christmas, he had ever had.


	6. Chapter 6

For Fake Ears

By:

Julia Claire (Julia) Ravenclaw

"The turkey is excellent, Molly."

Her mum gave a vague bob of the head that was probably supposed to indicate thanks, refusing, as she had all day, to meet anyone's eyes. Ginny reckoned she was trying to prevent them from seeing the tears, the red eyes, that marked this Christmas so much more miserable than the last. Her mum probably thought she could fool them into being happy. Ginny snorted.

Aunt Muriel, who had decided, this year, to rejoin them for Christmas dinner, sniffed. "I've had better. It's a tad overcooked."

"Guess it would be," Fred muttered, sullen, not his usual self at all, "if you liked your meat raw…"

"What was that, young man?" she snapped, dropping her fork with a clatter. For all her other flaws, Muriel had excellent hearing.

On any other year, her mother would have reprimanded Fred, before turning on her father, who wouldn't have been able to resist from snickering along with the rest of his children. Fred – or perhaps George – would have snapped back at Muriel with some clever comeback. But none of them said anything now, instead focusing resolutely on the food in front of them.

Muriel looked satisfied, as if she was the victor of some great battle, as if anyone at this table could win anything, in these times. "Pass the salt, Ginevra."

Ginny pretended not to hear this as she tore into a drumstick with a ferocity that probably better suited a wild dog than a girl.

"I said to pass the salt, Ginevra," Muriel said, her voice reaching a dangerous level. "I'm one hundred and seven, for Merlin's sake!"

Not entirely sure what that had to do with anything, Ginny continued to eat her drumstick.

Her mum made a weak sort of noise that was probably supposed to mean, "Do as your aunt says, if you know what's good for you."

Suddenly fed up with everything, she thrust the shaker at Muriel, and stomped over to the counter. She piled her plate full to bursting with third helpings of everything – she had always eaten more like a teenage boy than her brothers did, and this year, she seemed unable to stop.

What else was there to do, this Christmas?

Besides, they had twice as much food as usual, despite being only a party of six. If Ginny was an angry eater, her mum was a nervous cook, and she had seemed to think - though never exactly saying so - that she needed to prepare a feast, just in case one of her missing boys came home.

For the thousandth time, Ginny scanned the table, thinking of how empty it looked, how quiet… The conversation so far had consisted mostly of Muriel's complaints, with only feeble attempts about the food and an ear joke, from her father and George.

Ginny hated it. Christmaswas supposed to mean that everyone was crowded around the too-small dinner table, getting into fights, because someone had accidentally stuck their elbow in someone else's plate reaching for the butter dish that was right next to them. It was supposed to mean that everyone was talking at once, so loud no one could hear themselves. It wasn't supposed to be like this, angry and sad and nervous, all of them spread out along the table, with so much empty space between that Ginny felt she needed to eat and eat and eat just to fill it all up.

She missed Charlie, who hadn't been able to risk traveling across Europe, and Bill, who had decided to spend Christmas alone with Fleur, which pissed her off more than anything, and Ron, who was Merlin-knew-where, risking his life with Harry and Hermione. She looked down at her mountain of food, wondering if they had anything at all, but really, she didn't want to think about the three of them, especially not him. At least they were together.

It just seemed like everyone was gone, had left her behind to sit at a near-empty table. They'd taken Luna away, off the train (but she was all right because she just bloody had to be; she had to), and Mad-Eye was dead and half the Order was on the run and who the hell knew who would turn up dead next, while she was stuck eating and eating, doing nothing useful.

She slouched back to her chair, starting to shovel food in her mouth before she even sat down.

"Merlin's nose, Ginny," Aunt Muriel - who always used the strangest expressions - said disgustedly. "More food? And you're not exactly skinny to begin with..."

In answer, Ginny took bigger bites. George gave a weak chuckle, like he'd wanted to laugh, but it'd died in his throat.

Muriel, whose sole purpose in life, Ginny supposed, was to cause as much trouble as humanly possible, said, in a low voice that was nevertheless audible to everyone at the table, "I guess you think you can let yourself go, now that your boyfriend's not coming back -"

"I don't have a boyfriend." It was an automatic response, a reflex, by this point, after months and months of them asking about Harry, months and months of facing the painful realisation that she didn't know any more than they did. It wasn't just an attempt to get the facts dead right, or to brush them off; it was all a survival tactic. If she didn't have a boyfriend, she couldn't lose one.

Aunt Muriel snorted. "Oh, honey, you can't fool me. I saw the way you looked at that Potter boy... But he's dead, by now, or else, if he's not, he's captured. There's no way a seventeen-year-old whose only claim to fame is a big scratch on his face could avoid the Death Eaters for that long. I always said he was a fool for running away - he should have stood and fought like a man."

She shot one last look at Ginny and took one, final blow. "Worse than a fool. A coward."

Ginny had the time to think, strangely, that it was very lucky Aunt Muriel didn't know about Ron being with Harry, at least for now, or else she'd be forced to hear about how awful, and probably dead her brother was too. After that, she lost all sense of herself, only knowing that she had stood, quivering with indignation, intending to give some great, big speech that would put the stupid old woman in her place. She'd wanted to say something to make it all meaningful, make Harry a hero, make sense of why he'd left her behind, but realising she couldn't do any of that.

She didn't know herself.

And so she stood and screamed and ranted, using all her best swear words, the ones her brothers probably hadn't even known she'd picked up, stringing them together in phrases that they probably hadn't thought of, either.

When she was finished, she expected uproar, but instead there was only silence, broken only by her mother's empty, racking sobs - when she had begun to cry, Ginny wasn't sure. The twins stared at her with stricken faces - she had expected laughter from them, support, and her father looked blankly out the window, remarking that it was snowing. Worst of all, Muriel gave a short, barking chuckle, looking amused, satisfied to have at last provoked such a spectacle.

Ginny left the room, her face twisting, trying hard not to let the stupid old bat see her cry, but not knowing what to do, because there seemed to be nothing. Everything was different, wrong, strangers sat in the seats her family had once occupied, and she felt like screaming, but she'd already done that, and it'd done no good at all.

In the end, she went to her room, half-expecting herself to fall on the bed and cry, not knowing if she could hold the tears back any longer. But she didn't cry, instead sitting on her bed and staring out the window, out at the gray sky, speckled with white, the muddy grass poking through the sprinkling of snow. It was an ugly winter.

She remembered how Harry had remarked what a nice view she had, from here, and how annoyed she had been by that, because it was such a feeble, weak, nothing thing to say. She'd give anything to have that moment back now, to have her nice view again, to have him again, saying stupid things.

It usually made her feel good, when she didn't let herself cry, because after all, crying served no purpose to help anything, was downright stupid. However, if anything, on this messed-up, mixed-up day, it just made her feel worse. Was she so empty that she had no tears left?

After some time - Merlin himself didn't know how much - there was a knock on the door, and she jumped at the sound, as though she had forgotten that she wasn't entirely alone.

Fred and George entered with such strange, forced smiles that they hardly looked like themselves.

"Muriel left," George said. "Thank Godric. I thought we'd seen the last of her that Christmas when we set off that Dungbomb..."

"I don't know why we're bothering with this whole war thing, honestly," Fred said. "I say we just send Muriel to You-Know-Who's for Christmas dinner. I don't care if he's immortal, or whatever... Muriel could annoy a rock to death."

He sounded like himself, when he said that, in his familiar, joking fashion, and for that, she was grateful.

"Good theory," she said, laughing, though it had a bitter edge that she hadn't intended.

"Yeah," Fred said. "Only problem is that once Muriel kills off old Snake Breath, we'd have to find someone to finish off Muriel, wouldn't we?"

"I volunteer," she said, and they laughed.

"You two are awful," George said, after a moment, still chuckling. "Talking about killing you great-aunt, in these times?"

"Yeah, well," Ginny said, in a too-hard, bitter voice that did not suit her, even to her own ears.

"Everything's awful, so why shouldn't we be, too?"

The twins laughter stopped abruptly. "Gin - " Fred began.

She did not want to hear it, did not want to hear how far over the line she'd crossed, did not want help, or comfort, in coming back to herself. "Shut it, Fred."

She turned away from them, feeling their eyes burning into the back of her neck.

"Did you see what Fred got me for Christmas?" George asked, after a moment, nervously, almost sounding wary of her.

His nervousness made her feel slightly guilty, and grudgingly, she asked, "What?"

"Hold on a second," he said. "I'll go get it."

"Ginny," Fred said, when his twin had left. "It'll be okay - "

"I'm sick to death of people telling me that," she snapped at him, still not looking at him. "You don't know that. No one does." She sighed, her voice softening when she spoke again. "I just... don't understand, you know? I don't get why it all happened, why You-Know-Who is so evil... and sometimes I'm - I'm scared - "

"If you're only scared sometimes," Fred said, sounding uncharacteristically gentle, "Then you're a hell of a lot braver than the rest of us."

She smiled, still looking out the window. "I just feel so useless..." Her smile faded. "Why did he leave me behind?"

Fred sighed. "Because he's Harry, Ginny. He's a stupid little noble git who thinks it's all down to him to save the world, even though he's just as scared as everyone else, except you, maybe, because you're only scared sometimes." He paused. "He left me behind too, Ginny, and George and Mum and Dad and even Auntie Muriel. He left a lot of us behind, and don't think for a second that there aren't times when I look at all the crap I've made and feel so completely useless it suffocates me." He gave a grim little laugh. "Listen to me, huh?"

"Sometimes," she said, with a strange desire to open completely up to him. "I wonder why we're fighting this war. Isn't that awful, Fred? But I really don't know; I couldn't even explain it to Muriel. I know that You-Know-Who's evil, and that he should be stopped, but it just seems sometimes that it's never going to happen, and we're all just killing ourselves trying to make something go back to the way it was, and you can't turn back time." She felt short of breath, lightheaded. "We've already lost so much... It won't be the same again." She voice dropped to a whisper, "I know we have to keep fighting, but sometimes I wonder if there's anything left to fight for."

She hated herself for saying the words, for not even sounding like herself anymore. Fred said nothing, and it made her feel all the worse. She needed an answer.

Then the door banged open as George ran into the room, laughing, holding a small, skin-colored object in his hand. "A fake ear."

"There you are, Ginny," Fred said, and he sounded suddenly gleeful. "A fake ear."

Ginny turned away from the window at last, as the twins cracked up, and she started to laugh too, not in that desperate, bitter way she'd been doing all day, but a real guffaw, a disgusting belly-laugh. She wasn't thick enough to miss the answer to her question, to miss the meaning behind Fred's words.

This Christmas was miserable and sad, but it wasn't hopeless, not when she had Fred and George, not when the world still had laughter and fake ears.

Not when Harry was out there, somewhere, for her, with Ron and Hermione.

And when the time came, she would fight for them all.


	7. Chapter 7

Character: Rose Weasley

By:

Shockin'BlueEyes (Isa) Gryffindor

Written for Hogwarts Online forum, for the thread Yule Ball/New Year's Monthly Challenge, with the character Rose Weasley

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

In our life, there is usually one or two decisions that define us, make us what we are. They change our lives, and if they turn to the better or the worst, well, that's completely our responsibility. Sure, sometimes, those changes don't permit thinking over and have to be decided over the course of one second, but generally, these things can and should be thought over and over, even reaching to the point of thinking of all the ways the decision could go.

And that was what Rose Weasley, daughter of not just one war hero, but two war heroes, and two out of the three that helped most in defeating Voldemort, the most Dark Wizard of all times, was doing at the time. She paced silently the deserted corridors of Hogwarts, grazing lightly with her outstretched hand the wall, feeling the roughness of it. It helped her think. Of course, in the library she could think too, but there were too many books, too many temptations, and today the last thing she needed was to get distracted. She was screwing up all her courage so she could carry through what she had spent half the Christmas holidays thinking over, pondering. Pondering the consequences of the life-changing decision that would most probably set her out of her parents and family's shadow.

But she liked to think it was just a New Year's resolution.

It wasn't that Rose didn't love her family, she did, she truly did. They had always been there for her, and she couldn't imagine her life without them, but, well, over the last months, things had changed slightly, and it had made her wonder, not for the first time, if sticking with her family was worth it, after all. Would they still give her their support, if she did what she had in mind? Would they still accept her the same way? And what if the problem was, not that she was worried about their approval, but that she was worried that she really didn't care if she got it?

Being the child of a war hero is not easy, much less two, and to where her memory reached, she had always been seen as Hermione and Ron's daughter, the clever. She had many other attributes, but it didn't seem to count. She was just that, Rose the Clever. Or Rose Weasley, the daughter of… the niece of… the granddaughter of… the bloody second cousin thrice removed of…

She had heard stories about her dad's insecurity, of his feeling of inferiority at being overshadowed by his brothers, but with all respect, she felt she had much more people to feel overshadowed of. But that wasn't even the problem! She wasn't overshadowed, she was Rose the Clever!

She was underestimated. Chocked by her family's fame, by her inheritance, by all the awesome things their parents did and she would never get to outdo.

And she had finally had enough. One morning she had woken up and said enough is enough, proceeding then to write to her parents and tell them she wouldn't be coming home for Christmas, like she always did. She would have liked to see his father's face when he read the letter. But, for Merlin's sake, she was staying because she needed to study, because she needed to do well in her O.W.L.S., not because she was desperately crawling away from her family's shadow, don't think that, that is insane, that's not _clever_, and she was Rose the Clever, thank you very much. So she had stayed behind, while the castle emptied and the snow covered the grounds, enveloping the world in a white cocoon of peace.

Rose had always loved Christmas, time so filled with traditions, but also time for change, for New Year's resolutions.

Traditions like the Weasley-Potter dinner at the Burrow on Christmas, a must, even Uncle Charlie came back from his beloved dragons and stayed a few days. Traditions like the epic snowball fight, held every year in New Year's Eve, in the dead of the night, just after the clock struck midnight. It was magical: the garden of the Burrow lit with fairy lights, and there were two teams, throwing snowballs with everything they got; magic or not, it didn't matter. They had such a good time, even Grandpa and Grandma played sometimes.

She was kinda jealous that this year she hadn't been able to do it, but it had come a time in her life when she needed to ponder carefully her way of action, and she knew that if she had gone home, she wouldn't have time to do it. Here, however, almost alone in the castle and with the snow surrounding all, it wasn't difficult to find a peace that, let's face it, she didn't have often, all with her relatives running around and such.

During the Christmas holidays, with the holidays spirit and the decorations that swarmed Hogwarts, it was very easy to fall into a Christmas-induced hapiness, and that most definitely helps when you have to face an important decison, don't you think?

She had finally come up with a solution. Now the holidays were over, even if the Christmas decorations were still up and the merriness hadn't faded completely away, and she needed to do it before she lost the courage Christmas inspired her, before she fell again in the routine.

She walked the empty corridors, her arm still outstretched, but this time she made a conscious turn to the left. It was time, she had her decision laid out in her head, and her way of action, though simple and still incredibly tricky, all thought out. She got a new spring in her step as she approached the Great Hall in her way to dinner.

She had always admired the castle, that even with the battle of the Second Wizarding War, still conserved all its greatness, still held up, almost like defying anyone who tried to bring it down, and when she got to the huge oak doors, she couldn't help but pause slightly, gazing up at the ceiling in wonder, like she had done in her first year, when she first entered the Great Hall. The small icicles still hung from the ceiling, as if reminding her that the merry spirit of Christmas was still there, that she still had time until it went away.

She lowered her gaze and racked the four tables with her eyes, observing. Everything seemed different. Everything was different. At least for her. She was finally gonna step out of her family's shade, she was gonna do something really brave, really freeing, and some would say, really hardly mattered now. She was young, she was finally free, and she was in love. So screw her family, screw traditions, screw stupid prejudices, for she was gonna do what she wanted to do. And she knew that even if he hadn't said it, he wanted this too.

As she advanced through the tables, she smiled a little at the thought that if her father hadn't disinherited yet, he surely would do after what she was about to do. Oh, what a late Christmas present. And to her big surprise, she found out she didn't care. Finally she reached the Gryffindor table, and tapped her cousin's best friend on the shoulder. In the two seconds that got him to turn around, a million thoughts ran through her mind, but none seemed coherent enough to mention.

'What do you want, Rose?' he asked, turning around, and she said calmly, though inside she was a wreck of nerves.

'Stand up Scorpius' he looked confused for a second, brow slightly furrowed. A few curious eyes had begun to look their way, but she didn't care. What were a few curious eyes compared to her freedom? 'Scorpius, I'm gonna kiss you in three seconds, so you better stand up, because I want everyone to see' somewhere down the table there was a gasp, and she heard her cousin James giving an outraged cry, but she ignored them. Merlin, it was liberating.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow, but stood up nonetheless, and in one swift move had her pressed against him, their lips inches apart.

'I thought you wanted to keep it a secret' he whispered.

'Not anymore. I'm free' she said, beaming. He shook his head with an amused smile, and she swatted his arm. 'You better kiss me now, fool, before James jumps across the table and murders you' he chuckled in a low voice that send shivers down her spine, and he glanced back a second to look at the table, as it daring someone to try and stop him. And then he kissed her.

There were a few seconds of stunned silence, and then the Great Hall erupted with noise. From everywhere came clapping, wolf-whistling and whooping, but she could still hear above the noise her relatives, always louder than everyone else.

Outraged cries of 'No, Rose!' and 'Get away from her, bloody murder!' coming surely from James, Fred and Louis, excited cries from Lily, Molly, Lucy and Roxanne, and several chortling sentences of Hugo and Al, all along the lines of 'You should've told me, mate!', 'I knew it!', and her personal favourite:

'Dad's going to disinherit you when he finds out!'

Ah, finally, no shadow. Only sun, bright as his hair, and for Merlin's pants, she hoped she would see it everyday day of her life.

And people wondered why she liked Christmas…


	8. Chapter 8

Tastes of truth

By:

Inkfire (Azzie) Hufflepuff

Character: Tom Riddle JR

Here is my response to the December collab :) three Christmases in Tom Riddle's life, 820 words :)

You get, like each year, a tiny toy you were asked to pick at random from a huge box. This year it is a wooden ball, painted bright red, and a couple of boys are staring at you with envy obvious on their faces. But they are stupid, oh so stupid; you can see that there's something wrong, that this is but a worthless parade, to make you all forget about the emptiness. In the stories they tell you, the gifts come from loving families.

The toys do not matter, you know it – but they don't. The toys are meaningless. The toys are lies, and you dislike those already. You refuse to believe, and refuse to smile, to cheer and fake happiness. Why should you? You know the hard truth.

They come later in your room, the boys, to take the wooden ball and wipe that smirk off your face. Oh, it happened before. But there's something more in you this year, and they run away crying – and you keep their toys.

The whispers get stronger. Weird, they say. That one never changed. They should know by now that it's powerful, different, special. But after all, they are stupid. You can't change them.

It's so pathetic, the way they can't seem to see how empty their lives are. It's pathetic, their cries of joy at Christmas. You know better; you don't expect gifts, from anyone. You win your own victories, conquer fear and respect, and day by day, you watch your power grow. Nothing is granted for you – and yet you know that one day you woll rule the world.

_(you know that love is a foolish lie, and only victory matters)_

_(you know that you're the only one)_

You wander the castle, scowling at the silly decorations. Dumbledore insisted that the whole place would be filled with Christmas spirit, the old fool. So as a Prefect, you lent a hand, and now you're staring resentfully at a bunch of sickeningly glistening fir trees, which would be nearly enough in themselves to ruin the whole place's atmosphere of power.

Those are especially unbearable. As soon as you come back from your round, you'll certainly point Nott his next targets. They can't ruin the castle for you – your kingdom, your legacy, glistening with Christmas frenzy. They don't have the right.

You try to focus on how you're going to ask Slughorn what you need to know. But there are shouts everywhere, stupid joy and love openly displayed and flaunted around, and you are distracted by annoyance and disgust. You'd like to curse a few of them into oblivion, but you need to watch yourself, keep your cover. So you hold yourself back – the Slytherin golden boy, an actor like they'll never see one again – but you think of the Basilisk, and you grin.

Back in your common room, your fellow Slytherins are chatting excitedly, messing around like children. The Christmas spirit – you roll your eyes. Your ancestor's house, the top of pureblood society, the most cunning, ambitious and dignified, right.

Soon they'll all be back to their happy, wealthy, dignified families. Your victims-to-be will be enjoying their last moments of love. You scowl at the thought.

You won't have any presents this year – you'll be left almost alone, in the grand castle overwhelmed with cheerful lights you can't bear. Your little group of followers, they wouldn't dare such a familiar gesture, and no one else gives a damn. You don't care, of course.

_(of course you don't. In a way, that's what you wanted)_

_(in a way)_

Where are they tonight, your followers?

You know that they must be happy. Prime and proper, perfect purebloods with their grand manors and beautiful families. They must smile so condescendingly, sure to have led their life to glory and success. Soon they'll cower and writhe, and beg for mercy.

You smile an icy smile, inhuman. Nagini hisses from the floor in response.

Wormtail is somewhere in the house watching Crouch – you are alone. It's Christmas time. You haven't thought about Christmas for years and years of being less than a ghost, away from men's eye.

You used to despise it so much. Now you loathe it – now you yearn to rip happiness from their hearts, to show them the world for what it really is. A place where all that matters is power, and they, stupid loving ones, are as good as dead already. Even whose who fight for you. Especially those who fight for you. They should know that there are no such things as presents coming from life. They should know that you will crush them at the first mistake.

_(soon they will know)_

_(soon you will rise again)_

A new era is about to begin, and a long-forgotten thrill widens your scarlet eyes.

_(a Christmas of high hopes, and sweet irony)_


	9. Chapter 9

**Snow Angels**

**by: Slytherin Head (Monse)**

Since she was little, Hermione always loved spending Christmas with her mom and dad. With them working all the time, and she being busy with school work, clubs and band, there were few days when they could just sit together and talk. When her letter from Hogwarts came, her mother was afraid that they were never going to spend time together since it was a boarding school. Hermione, of course, reassured her parents that she would come back for Christmas. Even she knew she couldn't spend the whole year away from her parents.

Now, with the Christmas break upon them and the mystery of Flamel hanging above them, Hermione didn't want to go home.

She wanted to help Ron and Harry figure out who Nicholas Flamel was and what Snape was doing with that gruesome three headed dog, Fluffy. She also wanted to read more of the books that were in the library. Since she had gone through the ones in the small library in her hometown, she had been ecstatic to see all the books Hogwarts had to offer.

But when she stepped out from the Hogwarts Express and saw her father waiting for her, there was no Nicholas Flamel, no mystery for them to solve, and no library bigger than her town's library.

All there was, was her hugging her dad as he twirled her around. She even stuck out her tongue at Malfoy when he sneered at her. She didn't care what he thought, she loved her dad and wanted Malfoy to see that she was better than him. After all, she had seen his dad do nothing but give him a nod when he got off the train.

"Hello, princess, ready to go?" her father asked.

Smiling, she just nodded and walked hand in hand with her dad to their car. During the ride home, he told her how they now had two offices and that they were thinking of buying a third one. Hermione smiled, thinking about how long they had dreamed of expanding their practice. If they kept it up, in a few years her parents could retire and they would have more time to themselves and her.

Right now though, she was happy going home for Christmas. She knew the first thing she was going to do (after putting her things away) was go out and make snow angels with her dad. It was always a tradition for them to make them at the first fall of snow. But since she had been at Hogwarts for that, they had to make up for the day she missed.

Once they had pulled up to her house, she had helped her dad with her luggage and the few presents her mother had asked her dad to buy. After they placed everything where it was suppose to go, Hermione and her dad made sure both were wearing their warmest coats. Once they were standing outside, on their lawn, Hermione looked at her dad let her self fall to the ground backwards.

Her dad looked on as he laughed at seeing his daughter acting like she was still five. Settling himself on his back, they started making their snow angels. By the time Hermione's mum had arrived home she found her lawn covered in different size angels. At least they didn't have to shovel the snow out now.

Later that night, Her parents and she sat around in their sitting room drinking some hot cider and each reading their favorite book. It was the one thing Hermione had missed the most, and the one thing she couldn't do at Hogwarts. Especially in the common room, there was never a day were the twins weren't making a racket and there would be no way Madam Pince would _ever _let her bring in a hot drink into the library.

So she took full advantage of being at home to do all the things she couldn't do at Hogwarts.

ooooOOOOoooo

On Christmas day, Hermione was the first one to wake up. She had, at an early age, discovered her dad putting out the presents around the Christmas tree. When she asked him what he was doing, he told her that Santa had asked him to put her gifts there because he was running short on time. The response the seven-year-old had given her father was a raised eye-brow and a look that said, "You can do better than that." That incident still brought tears to her mother's eyes. Not only because it had been one funny moment but because their little girl was growing up.

To make her parents feel better though, she had pretended to have been sleep walking and not remember what had happened the night before. Besides, if she pretended, then she could still jump on her parents bed screaming "IT'S CHRISTMAS! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"

When she woke, she sneaked down to see her tree filled with presents upon presents. With a gleeful smile she ran to her parents room and jumped right on their bed. "IT'S CHRISTMAS! UP OR YOU WONT GET YOUR PRESENTS!"

After a breakfast, the Granger family sat in their sitting room waiting for Hermione to open up her presents. Had she known that would be one of the few happy Christmas' she would spend with her parents during her Hogwarts years, Hermione would have never gone back to school.


End file.
